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Tantrums and soothers are hurled by the screaming two year old beside you on a long-haul flight.

Your typical options would have included risking a scene and suffering in silence. But airlines are introducing other options — onboard nannies and kid-free seats — in an attempt to keep the peace, attract new customers and boost earnings.

“To have this kind of extra care is . . . marketing 101,” said airline analyst Robert Kokonis. “What differentiates you from the next airline?”

Etihad Airways, a United Arab Emirates company, said last week it will unleash 500 “Flying Nannies” by the end of the year, with one aboard each of its long-haul flights.

“Flying with a young family can be a daunting task, even for the most experienced travelers,” said Aubrey Tiedt, vice president of guest services for Etihad, which flies to Toronto.

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Specialty care and kid-free cabins might not become the norm for Canadian passengers, though. Kokonis said these types of options are being released by airlines making more money than most in North America, so they have the funds to experiment. Plus, the airlines are in places where hiring a nanny is more mainstream than in Canada or Europe, he said.

“It’s a bit above and beyond. This business, the airline sector is incredibly difficult to make money in, even when it’s good days, when fuel costs are low and the economies are doing well,” Kokonis said, adding he believes Canadian airline attendants are already trained well to deal with kids, and they typically respond well.

However, travelers worldwide are interested. Last year, TripAdvisor reported that its survey of 1,000 Americans found 40 per cent would pay extra for a quiet seat. When the company surveyed more than 500 British travelers in 2009, it found 79 per cent wanted child-free zones, like the ones introduced by Singapore-based airline Scoot last month.

“ScootinSilence” is for people 12 and older who want to be in a quiet “exclusive cabin,” which takes up four rows and has an extra four inches of leg room. The 41 quiet seats are just behind the business section and cost about $15 extra.

Scoot isn’t the first airline to banish kids from parts of cabins. Last February, Air Asia X created “Quiet Zones” on seven rows of its flights for no extra cost.

For companies that can afford to try out the new ideas, Kokonis said it would only take gaining a few customers per flight to make the service profitable. “It’s a tough business to make money, so these airlines that have done it, they’ve analyzed it,” he said.

On Etihad flights, the new nannies will wear bright orange aprons and help both families and unaccompanied kids, Tiedt said in a statement.

The workers will have completed “in-depth training” on child psychology and sociology.

“The Flying Nanny will liaise with parents and use their experience and knowledge to make the travel experience easier,” Tiedt said, adding nannies will serve meals to kids early during flights, and entertain them with collectable toys, sock puppets, magic tricks and arts and crafts.

Quizzes and plane tours will be given to older children, while service items like paper cups can be made into origami. Because of “legalities and safety,” the airline can’t change diapers or take kids to the bathroom.

On the company’s website, it said nannies “cannot assume full responsibility for your child during the flight, especially as they need to be available to help other families as well.”

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